This page shows how to build a domino top. Dimensions are shown for double six and double nine tops. We are starting with building a top because you won't need to know how to build the table until you have built the top to go on your table. This page does not include information about wood selection or wood finishing , those are topics that relate to every step of the process so they are on their own pages. (will be soon)

Please click on an image to see a larger image, it will open in a new window. Line drawings are not to scale, use the measurements listed in the tables with the instructions. Line drawings are only to show details that cannot be shown using photos.

This article lists the equipment used to build Premio® products, not all equipment listed is required and optional equipment is marked wth the # symbol. Optional equipment can make your work easier and give better results but is not essential to the project. We also offer links to places where you can order equipment and supplies online to help you complete your project. Many of the supplies may be available at your local hardware store, what you decide to use is up to you.

I apologize if these instructions aren't quite what you were hoping for, but this is a one person operation now and that one person is a retired lady doing her best to help people build the tables that used to be made by Premio. This information is free and I have tried to make it as complete as possible, but we never used a set of plans that I could share with you. Everything was cut according to our own setups. If everyone out there had the same equipment that we used here it would be a lot easier. If the tables were made of a material that was always uniform and had a specific thickness it would be easier. The wood you buy in Florida is nothing like the wood that is available in New Jersey so you need to use your own experience and judgment in deciding some of the dimensions such as the width of the dadoes. While I am happy to answer questions, I do hope I've set out the information so that it is useful to as many people as possible.

Some of the terms used to refer to the parts and steps of construction and finishing may be unfamiliar to you, please don't hesitate to ask questions, that will help me put the answers here to help other people also.

I can not tell you where to buy the materials to build your top, you will need to consult your local businesses such as lumber and hardware stores. I cannot guarantee your success either, this is only a guide for those who wish to build their own domino top. You need to know your own abilities and limitations, how to use your equipment to achieve the results you want.

* The GRR-Ripper™ Adjustable Push Block is one piece of equipment that I would not use a table saw without. It professionally guides your work over the blade in complete safety. If you value your fingers (and have had enough of flying kickbacks with featherboards) you should have a GRR-Ripper™ before you cut your next piece of wood or use a router table. I cannot cover all the benefits of this terrific safety equipment here, but once you use one you'll never go back to any other kind of push block or featherboard again. It is easily worth 3 times the price just for the safety and versatility features alone.

Have Fun and Good Luck! --Nancy

The first step is to build the panel that will be the playing surface. Coat the top of the plywood and the back of the Formica™ with contact cement. You can use a brush or a scrap or wood or a handy tool used to apply tile adhesive. We always used the tile adhesive tool because it is fast and easy to get excellent even coverage all over both pieces. When both pieces are dry, very carefully place the two glued sides together, being careful to line them up - you only get one chance, once the two surfaces touch it can tear the Formica™ if you try to reposition it. It helps for this step to have an assistant to help you lower the Formica™ exactly onto the plywood. When they are lined up, apply hand pressure to smooth down the Formica™, then use a piece of scrap lumber and a hammer to get all the air out and form a perfect seal between the two pieces. Move the scrap wood around the top, hitting it with the hammer to apply pressure to all of the top. This panel will be trimmed later to fit the top sides before they are assembled.

Before cutting the topsides to their length or cutting the mitered corners you will want to cut the dado where the playing surface panel will go. The thickness (width) of the dado should be just very slightly (1/32" or less) wider than the thickness of your panel. Since different brands of laminate and plywood vary widely I cannot tell you what size the dado should be. Measure the thickness of your panel and cut the dado to that width plus 1/32". Test mount your panel for fit in the dado before continuing to either roundover or miter the top sides. The fit should be snug but not so tight as to require force to enter the dado. When you get ready to glue it together, the glue will help it slide a little, but it will also take some of the available space. The dado should not be loose or you will need to shim it up from below when you glue it in place.

For some people, the flat square top is just fine. Others prefer the more finished look of a round top corner. If you want the top edges to be rounded, this is the time to do that, before the top sides are cut to length. The radius you choose is entirely up to you, from a slightly rounded flat top edge to a very rounded edge, anything goes, as long as they are all done the same. The finished outside length of the top sides for a double six top is 22½". For a double nine top the finished outside length of the top sides is 24½". You need to cut a 45° angle corner where the ends of the top sides will be joined. The inside length of your top sides depends entirely on the thickness of the wood you have selected so it is not specified here. To make the corner cuts your wood should be straight, flat, dadoed and rounded over (if desired). The accuracy of your angle cuts will decide how professionally your top will fit together.

Once your corners are cut so that the outside length of the top sides is correct and your angles are true 45° cuts you are ready to wet the wood down and let it dry overnight. This stands up the grain so that it is ready to sand. Once the panel is glued in place you cannot sand or stain the inside edges or you'll risk damaging the playing surface. The inside edges of the top sides must be sanded to at least 320 grit before you apply the stain. The wood finishing section is not completed yet, but it will only cover the basic information you can get from reading labels and following instructions. Whether you choose to use a waterbased stain or the traditional stains, you just need to follow the instructions. On noble woods such as cedar and mahogany we do not recommend the use of waterbased stains, their color durability is not suited to the quality of the wood.

Let the stain dry thoroughly and sand once more, this time down to 400 grit for a satin smooth finish. After the second coat of stain is dry apply a sealer and your top will be ready to add the playing surface and glue together. The inside edges should be completely finished at this point, including varnish if you are finishing your table with varnish. After it is solidly glued and screwed together the outside edges will get the same finishing treatments so you will want to finish the inside edges high enough to the top (or even a little over the top) to be able to blend in the finished and unfinished areas to the same color and finish.

The next step is to set up the top sides on your work suface where they will sit after being glued. Work on a well lit flat surface large enough to hold your work comfortable and give you room to move around it freely. Clamp the top sides snugly in position to get an accurate measurement. You need to measure straight across the table top to get the size to cut your playing surface panel. Add 3/8" to that measurement and double-check in both directions. This is the finished size to cut your panel to. Make sure the topsides are going to fit together the way they should before proceeding. Check to see that the dadoes meet on each inside corner or you will have trouble fitting the topsides together properly. Make sure the panel fits nicely inside the dadoes before you add the glue.

After you cut and try the playing surface panel and are satisfied with the fit, lay the top sides down in formation on the work surface with the dadoes facing up. The specific glue recommended above allows about 10 minutes of work time, if you are using another brand of glue, be sure you know how long you have before the glue begins to set as occasionally the top will be difficult to fit together. Sometimes an uneven panel of plywood needs to be sanded smooth on the edges to fit nicely into the dadoes. This is why I recommend that you try the fit before adding any glue. Ready? OK, add enough glue, only in the dadoes so that the edges of the panel will easily contact the glue, but not so much that it oozes out, or you'll have a mess to clean up. Fit the panel (facing you) into the dado of the top side in front of you, then reach across and fit the panel edge into the opposite side. One at a time add the other sides and be sure they are straight and tight before you clamp them. Square the top up before the glue sets, measuring across the top diagonally from corner to corner to be certain that the corners are square. The belt clamp will hold them in the position they are in, but will not tighten them very much, so you don't want any corner gaps when you add the belt clamp. If you are using some other type of clamp, follow the general directions here and apply your clamp(s).

After allowing your top to dry completely (overnight is best), remove the clamp and screw the corners. One screw in each direction holds the top securely. We always used a countersink to hide the screws under a piece of dowel inserted and glued into the screw hole. Each corner should have two screws, one from each direction. (See the picture and diagram) One set higher than the other to allow them to hold different sections of the wood. Whether you use decorative plugs or dowels to fill the screw holes or leave the screws showing on the surface is up to you, but if you do use decorative plugs, do not add them until the top is finished, because you need to sand and finish the outsides of the top and they will make sanding the corners difficult. Follow the same steps as you did to finish the inner sides of the top sides and your top will be ready to add the racks. That is covered in the next section - which for the time being is not finished yet.

NOTE: MOST table saws have a lot of blade wobble that can affect the accuracy of your cut. If you are familiar with your equipment and have built similar things before, you may have your own little secret adjustments that help you get satisfactory results. If you are just beginning wood working, you will see the results that show you how bad your saw and guide are. At Premio® we added a v-link belt to the saw drive to lessen the wobble of the saw blade. The difference is impressive and I can't think of any more useful adaptation you can add to your table saw to significantly improve the quality of all your cuts.

MOST standard miter cutting guides that come with your table saw are nowhere near accurate. If you are only building one table you may not have or want the equipment required to make a proper miter cut. As long as you are aware that your results depend on your equipment and are not willing to accept "close enough" results you should consider getting a good miter cutting accessory for your saw. We used Incra® miter gauges and accessories, and recommend them highly - they will give you perfect results.